If nothing else, CoVid19 has revealed that both the Federal and State governments are "policy-compromised." What happened to America's psyche that the will to “solve” a crisis, has been usurped by a desire to simply “manage” one? We've been watching politicians handle the rippling effects of this pathogen crafted in edicts and mandates which arrive two weeks too late; leaving first responders struggling to catch up. The end result? Politicians on the state and Federal level have been privately panicking over their past policy decisions and their impacts on re-election. They lament not stopping flights from foreign lands months ago, or, investing in ventilators when the option was available half a decade ago. It seems no one is immune from the infection of 20/20 hindsight.
Looking back at what went right or what went wrong is all well and good, but the American people are looking forward. They’re tired of the blame game and want solutions instead of finger pointing. “Stay in place” fatigue has reached its peak, and the rumbles of defiance are brewing in the masses, both middle class and indigent alike. So why is it that no strategy has emerged to get people out of masks, and off of unemployment?
Should we shut everything down until no new cases are reported? The virus has little chance of being totally eradicated, as countless cases of re-occurrence in recovered patients have been reported in various countries including South Korea. No sooner would 30 days of “Stay at Home” go by, communities being reopened, that these re-infected people would become the new Patient Zeros. A new wave of infection would then result, and Government would try the same inane strategies all over again; putting millions more out of work and cracking the very financial pillars of our society. Yet, how many people have been infected and showed no ill effects whatsoever? How many are already immune?
Politically, the choices between death from sickness, and death & destruction from mass social unrest do create quite a conundrum. Is it better to suffer Covid19’s slings and arrows, and get the antibodies for one’s own natural protection? Would this not further enhance the “herd immunity” we hear so much about, or, would it put one in a perilous fight for one’s life?
One thing is for certain, both political parties have found it very convenient to wield the sword of fear into subduing the populace. On the left, we are coaxed into fear about catching the disease because it could be fatal. From the right, we are told that our very constitution is being shredded via draconian orders emanating from the capitol buildings of various states; going against the very articles in that document that have made us so strong as a nation.
The reality is that we are on the verge of reopening everything. We have to be. It is no longer a choice, it is a reality. We have oil futures going negative, where one can be paid to take possession of oil that has flooded the market. We have food pantries growing in number, and unemployment hitting historic highs. What is the solution?
How do we go forward? A 2-pronged approach that must be employed to move us into a post-pandemic America. The first is the finding of the silver bullet, the elixir that will stop CoVid19’s effects and the ensuing mortality rates in their tracks. The second prong is to protect the population from future infection. A solution for treatment and another for prevention are almost there, both with extraordinary potential. Once thoroughly tested, each needs to be fast tracked into use. For treatment there is Remdesivir, and for prevention there is a variation on the Oral Polio Vaccine. Both concepts avoid the potential cardiac and cerebral side effects that are claimed to be associated with the controversial Hydroxychloroquine.
A most promising item for treatment is a drug for treatment currently in experimentation called Remdesivir. Gilead Sciences Inc., developer of the drug, has seen its product used in Phase 3 clinical trials in various hospitals with excellent results. University of Chicago Medicine reports that of the 113 of 125 persons that took the drug in two trials were in serious condition. The vast majority recovered, with only two perishing. Gilead is cautious in claiming victory, seeking further evidence from clinical trial data sets.
Enter renowned Dr. Robert Gallo, whose work with HIV/AIDS still resonates after decades. Dr. Gallo proposes that the body’s natural reactions when receiving the Polio virus may be enough to provide temporary protection against CoVid19 because it is an mRNA vaccine. Utilizing this concept, an mRNA vaccine called mRNA—1273 is now in development by a company called Moderna. This may result in an oral vaccine that could immunize the population in the future against the potentially lethal Corona Virus.
When trials are finally conclusive, Remdesavir would be available to treat the most serious of patients. Reopening America could happen as soon as an adequate supply of the drug could be produced in substantial quantities, millions of doses. Just as President Trump ordered GM to produce ventilators, he could order Merck and others to crank out Remdesavir. This would insure explosive growth in the supply of the “treatment.”
The dice must be thrown, and society must be reopened. Those that are at risk, should still be shielded until the vaccine becomes available. The rest of America could get back to creating products and offering services that serve as the life’s blood of our economic engine. Without dollars moving through the system, and taxes being collected, everything the government does is moot. The ever-increasing debt would surely lead to economic collapse, social unrest, famine and worse. The time for “management” is over. It’s time to hit CoVid19 head on and control it, instead of it controlling us.
The media must stop peddling fear, for either the left or right bench. We must have the resolve to stop listening to things that make us react. Instead, we need to take over the wheel and act. One thing we know for sure, President Reagan was right. “Government is not the solution to our problem, Government is the problem.” For decades our government did not prepare for a pandemic, creating the problem with which we are now faced. It is now time for Government to get out of the way and let the people fix the country.
